A people-led forum on the British Empire and the struggle for repair.
The British Empire continues to shape the conditions in which we live and the institutions that govern our lives.
We are developing an independent forum through which people and communities affected by empire can tell the truth about its enduring impacts and strengthen demands for reparatory justice.
The Forum is still being designed.
Its purpose and structure will be developed through consultation with the people and movements whose work it should serve. Please join us.
What is the Forum?The Global Peoples’ Forum on the British Empire will create a public record of the Empire’s histories and continuing structures, shaped by people and communities affected by them. This work will support collective demands for repair.
The Forum will sit outside the control of governments, palaces, and Commonwealth institutions because the institutions and elites that benefited from empire should not determine how its history is told or what justice should follow.
Truth telling is critical, but it is also not enough. The Forum is being developed so that the knowledge it brings together can deepen public understanding and strengthen reparatory political action.
The final shape of the Forum is not yet fixed. You can help develop it by joining a consultation workshop.
Five Proposed Core Functions
The Forum is currently being developed around five core functions. These proposals will be reviewed and revised through the consultation process.
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Supporting communities to record their experiences and cultivate knowledge about empire and its continuing effects.
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Making knowledge about empire and reparatory justice available in forms that wider publics can use.
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Facilitating sustained relationships between movements confronting the continuing effects of empire.
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Turning shared knowledge into demands and strategies for reparatory change.
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Tracking institutional commitments and assessing whether they lead to meaningful change.
Our Proposed Principles
The Forum’s work will be guided by the following principles. These will also be developed through consultation.
People-led & community-grounded
People affected by empire should shape the Forum’s priorities and the terms on which knowledge is shared
Reparatory orientation
Truth telling should contribute to forms of repair identified by affected communities
Independence
The Forum must remain free from government, royal, and Commonwealth control.
Safety & non-harm
Participation must respect consent, autonomy, and the safety of individuals and communities
Reciprocity
The Forum should return value to those who contribute and must not extract knowledge without benefit
You’re invited.
Help shape what this Forum becomes.
We are holding consultation workshops with grassroots, Indigenous, anticolonial, and reparations organisations across different regions and movements.
The Forum’s functions, principles, and governance arrangements remain open to change. The consultations will determine what role the Forum should play and how people should participate in its work.
To express interest, email info[@]globalpeoplesforum.org. Tell us briefly who you are, the organisation or community you are connected to, and which consultation you would like to join. We will respond with information about relevant workshop dates.
Follow the Forum’s Development
Subscribe to receive updates on the consultation process and the development of the Forum. We will also share public events and educational resources as they become available.